727 Siege of Nicaea Arab Victory

Nikephoros

Banned
IOTL, the armies of the Ummayad Caliphate besieged Nicaea after taking Iconion. This took place about ten years after the second seige of Constantinople.

The Arab armies nearly took the city, and even managed to breach the city's walls.

Now, what would a victory there open up for them? What it opens up is the Western Anatolian plain. Although they took control of many of the cities during their earlier invasions, and used those cities as bases for their fleet, that area wasn't really under there control because they left Byzantine forces behind them. Here however, with control of Nicaea they can prevent the Byzantine forces from being a threat. This would effectively lead to the fall of Asia Minor, and leave the Byzantines with their Balkan enclaves.

For reference, here is a map of Byzantine territory under the reign of Leo III the Isaurian:
ByzantineEmpire717%2Bextrainfo%2Bthemes.PNG

Here is Nicaea:
nicaeamap.gif
 
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You have to remember here what a competent and powerful Emperor Leo III was by this point. I can't see the Arabs taking Anatolia now: Byzantine naval hegemony is too great for Constantinople to be threatened, and the Byzantine fleets can keep the Anatolian coastline supplied more or less with impunity. The interior is also beginning to recover now: and don't forget the impact of Justinian II's population transfers which really began to bear fruit in Leo's reign.

So, the Arabs have Nicaea, but it's going to be an isolated outpost. You mention Ikonion fell to them too, but Ikonion was not at that point the most important Byzantine city in Anatolia: that honour fell instead to Amorion which would retain the crown for another century or so. The Arabs in Nicaea face Byzantine resistance in the Marmara, Byzantine resistance right along the Aegean coast (which has been effectively part of Greece for over a millenium now), and Byzantine resistance in their rear, in Cappadocia, which was always a great stronghold for the Empire pre-Manzikert.

In short, not a lot. I think that after 718 the window of opportunity for an Arab conquest of the Roman Empire has closed, and though Arab raids could certainly be devastating, as when Amorion was sacked, they never again presented as much of a danger to the life and soul of the Empire as they did prior to the Isaurian dynasty.
 
Nicaea

I agree. If they had captured it, it would not have been possible for them to actually hold it for very long. The theme system was still quite strong at this period. In an old reference (sorry, I can't recall the title), I read that geographically, the Arabs appeared to dislike Asia Minor for a number of reasons. Perhaps the same reasons why they never bothered to conquer Northern Spain. In contrast, the Turks found it highly suitable to support their nomadic lifestyle.
 
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